If the BC NDP were looking for fodder about the governing BC Liberals, they got a few servings from the Port Moody-Coquitlam candidate at last Thursday's debate.
At the meeting hosted by the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce, where about 75 people filled PoMo's Inlet Theatre to hear BC Liberal MLA Linda Reimer, NDP challenger (and PoMo city councillor) Rick Glumac and the Greens' Don Barthel, the incumbent drew jeers for her responses to questions on health care and the substance abuse crisis in B.C.
On the question of privatizing the universal health care system, Reimer was booed for arguing in favour of opening up the medical system to a private second tier "to a certain extent." She said she'd had non-elective surgery at a private Vancouver clinic and argued having the financial means to do so allowed for a vacancy in the public system.
"Health care, after all, is the biggest budget item for B.C., and with the number of seniors on the rise, the costs aren't going down, Reimer added.
"That, right there, if there's no other reason to not vote [BC] Liberal, is it," retorted Glumac, who attacked Reimer and her party for not embracing Canadian values. He also drew loud applause after saying, "We need to fix this health care system."
That night, NDP organizers pounced on Reimer's comments with a video clip pushed to social media and, the following day, emailed with an official press release that also generated news stories (Reimer defended her position last Friday during an interview with The Tri-City News; her response can be seen in her profile on page 3).
Later in the debate, Reimer also took heat for her stance on opioids, which last year killed nearly 1,000 British Columbians, including young people in the Tri-Cities.
She was heckled after saying former Riverview Hospital patients aren't living on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside — a comment in opposition to what health care practitioners have told Coquitlam city council as it prepares to redevelop the Riverview lands. She said her party tried to ban pill presses used for making lethal drugs such as fentanyl but the motion to prohibit the devices actually came from Port Coquitlam NDP MLA Mike Farnworth.
On the topic of Riverview, the three candidates stated their parties' case: Barthel said the Greens don't want any part of the 244 acres sold; Glumac said the NDP also wants to keep it in public hands as a mental health campus; and Reimer said the BC Liberals are renewing the care with new buildings on site.
Many of the structures there are old and unsafe, Reimer said, without mentioning plans for potential market housing. "We are going to take down some of these building and rebuild them," said said, noting the city of Coquitlam is in charge of rezoning and the BC Liberals want to protect the arboretum.
Other questions posed to the candidates centred on housing affordability, long-term transit funding, PST reform, the KinderMorgan pipeline expansion and Site C. "It will go ahead as planned," Reimer said of the controversial dam construction project.
• The last Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce debate is Thursday for Coquitlam-Maillardville candidates. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the Best Western Coquitlam Inn Convention Centre (319 North Rd.). The meeting will be live-streamed on the chamber’s Facebook page, with opportunities to ask questions online. To view the live stream, go to www.tricitieschamber.com at the scheduled time of the meeting. To submit questions, go to slido.com, enter the meeting’s event passcode (ACD4), submit your question and then vote for questions you want to hear the candidates answer.
jcleugh@tricitynews.com
